Really easy pressure cooker bean soup with ham and dried beans that is healthy and only requires a few ingredients. Versatile where you can make it vegetarian if you want or load it up with bacon. The perfect Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot soup during the winter and year round.
Yes I use my Instant Pot a lot. It makes it easy for me to make homemade meals for the 5 of us and if you’ve ever been hesitant to use dry beans it is SO easy when you have a pressure cooker. You don’t need to soak them overnight like before, you just pop them in first to soften up, drain, and then add everything else to make things like this easy pressure cooker bean soup. It’s one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes when it’s chilly outside. (affiliate links present)
Homemade Pressure Cooker Bean Soup
I had dry northern beans on hand and some bacon too so I literally dumped it in with some vegetables and broth and it came out delicious. A healthy bean soup too.
It is not only a flavorful dinner but really cheap to make too. Another one to add to my cheap Instant Pot recipes post. Add as many vegetables as you like. I just chose onions and celery this time but you could really load it up if you wanted. Make it a sort of minestrone style northern bean soup with lots of veggies.
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Instant Pot Bean Soup with Dried Beans
If you have been scared of “that bag” at the store because you have never started from scratch, let us change your mind. With just some water or broth you can take legumes from rock hard to perfectly tender in about 30 minutes or so using high pressure.
If you don’t have this brand that is okay, Crockpot Express works the same. Make this as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe too using the lid that isn’t attached and the pressure cook button on that multi-cooker!!
How long does it take for beans to cook in a pressure cooker?
If you’ve never used northern beans they are quite mild and called white beans sometimes. You can take dried beans to tender in just 35 minutes with a 10 minute natural release! If you were really in a hurry you could use canned white beans too and skip this part.
Once I made it from scratch this way I was hooked and made a batch of homemade no soak Instant Pot baked beans next which was really popular.
Can you make pressure cooker bean soup with canned beans?
Yes!! You will cut down the cook time a lot if you start with cans and just dump those in so you can skip the whole first step listed below. Of course a big part of the Instant Pot wonderment is that you can cook everything in one pot including the bacon!
We eat soups all year long really. That’s why I put together this Instant Pot soup recipes post, but especially when it’s chilly outside!!
I wouldn’t do it that way. Instead you will want to soak overnight and then cook to tender on stovetop submerged in water. For a faster way to cook dry beans use your electric pressure cooker!! NO soak is required to do it this way. In about half hour they will be soft, then make your soup from there.
That is up to you but not required. It will cut down the cook time but even with skipping that step it is the fastest way to cook dried beans period. Some swear by soaking because it cuts down on the gas they experience from eating legumes but is up to you.
What you need to make easy pressure cooker bean soup
- Northern beans – this is what I used
- Onion
- Celery
- Chicken broth
- Water
- Olive oil
- Carrots could be added too
- Green onions
- Salt could be added, I thought the broth had enough for us so I didn’t
Pop some rolls in the oven or make this pressure cooker cornbread and your meal is done! I have been trying to make healthy meals more often. Being able to use dry beans with no soaking beforehand has been a game changer.
More easy pressure cooker soups you’ll love
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Pressure Cooker Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 c beans dry, we used Northern beans
- 1 c onion diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 strips bacon diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 green onions diced
- 32 oz chicken broth
Instructions
- Put dry uncooked beans into Instant Pot or pressure cooker with 4 cups of water.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to bean setting for 35 minutes.
- Do a natural release (test beans to see if they’re tender enough for your liking, if not reset for another 10 minutes) drain beans, set aside.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute (or do on the stovetop if you have a traditional pressure cooker). Add olive oil, diced onion, and bacon.
- Cook until onions are softened and bacon is cooked to your liking (doesn’t need to be crispy, just cooked as it is pork).
- Turn Instant Pot off/cancel…important step.
- Add all other ingredients left, including beans you set aside, and gently stir.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to soup setting for 10 minutes.
- Quick release and serve…can top with grated parmesan cheese and/or chives.
Fran
Tuesday 10th of May 2022
I used black eyed peas and sliced mushrooms, not bacon. Very good.
Dulce
Friday 2nd of August 2019
I was just trying out my own thing and had just threw the dry beans in with my sauted bacon, onion, carrots and celery, when I ran across this recipe, now I wonder how long it's gonna take the beans to cook since I put the in, without softening them up first?
Amber christensen
Monday 22nd of April 2019
It says you could also use canned beans if in a hurry. What does this do to the final cook phase? I used canned beans and threw it all together adding some potatoes and ham, I didn’t have bacon, and I set it to cook for 35 minutes. Not sure if with canned beans how long I should cook.
The Typical Mom
Monday 22nd of April 2019
So for canned beans you would skip the initial step of softening the beans and jump to the next which would be all other ingredients for 10 minutes.
Denisha Wilbanks
Sunday 20th of January 2019
I made this delicious recipe , and in the last few minutes of cooking the beans I threw in a few peeled and cut potatoes this was yummy . Thank you for your time and wonderful recipes .
Wendy K
Saturday 15th of September 2018
This was tasteless. I ate a few bites and got right back up and put some spices in. A hefty dose of pepper, garlic powder, and paprika made a little more palatable. It was an easy recipe with ingredients I usually have on hand so I will likely make it again but I will be experimenting with spice.
The Typical Mom
Monday 17th of September 2018
Everyone likes different levels of salt and spices as I note in most of my recipes. Add them as you wish according to your desire.